I need your help!
I'm part of a coed family book club with members from 25-70 years old, and my turn to pick a book is coming up. We tend to read historical, contemporary, and literary fiction (but nothing too highbrow). We've also picked up a few memoirs, nature & historical nonfiction, thrillers, and murder mysteries too. We haven't read a lot a lot of super speculative stuff, but a book with some light speculative elements isn't out of the question.
Anything in any of those genres would be great! I'm particularly leaning toward something more fun/light-hearted because we've read a few heavier books in a row. But all suggestions are welcome!
Here are a few past reads that went over the best:
Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano
James by Percival Everett
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
Thanks!
by No_Bluebird6135
8 Comments
North Woods
My mom and I just read Real Americans by Rachel Khong, and we both enjoyed it. It’s not really light-hearted though.
John Scalzi’s **Starter Villain** is the most entertaining book I’ve read recently. It’s a spoof of the early James Bond movies. A substitute teacher inherits his estranged uncle’s villainy which comes complete with a secret volcanic lair. He describes it as ‘a common man finding himself in uncommon circumstances’.
I love the idea of this book club with a family.
I’m in a club comprised mostly of elderly women. And we read pretty much the same things you describe.
They enjoyed Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary, and they are primarily not into speculative fiction. I suggested it after a few months of heavier fair.
We’ve also enjoyed Two Old Women by Velma Wallis. It’s one of my 5-Star reads this year. Two old women get left behind by their tribe and go on to succeed wildly. It’s short. And it would be super interesting in a multigenerational discussion.
What You Can See From Here – Mariana Leky
I know why the Caged bird sings, an auto biography by Maya Angelou
It’s about a future poet, half Asian and half black. She grew up in America during a time when segregation was legal. So yeah there are a lot of triggers in the book, including an uncle that “hugs” her as a child. She doesn’t shy away from sharing the ugliest parts of her life. But still an amazing piece of literature, about a future contemporary of MLK.
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
That Good Night, a memoir by Sunita Puri who is a palliative care doctor – it’s well-written and most of us would be well served by talking about the process of dying and how we want to die, especially with family
A Most Remarkable Creature – also non-fiction, it looks at the world via a specific bird of prey called a caracara. It sounds very niche or dry but it is beautifully written and touches on so many topics, always rooted back to the caracara in some way
Umami by Laia Jufresa – it’s literary fiction about several people coming together because they share a courtyard, it switches between the main characters so there are different perspectives and each character feels pretty nuanced and real